Beyond the Gates Weekly Recap 3-24

Beyond The Gates Weekly Recap - 03/24-03/28/25

Monday 

Naomi confides in Jacob about taking on the case. Kat and Chelsea continue working on their exciting new purse line while Chelsea grapples with whether to come clean with Dani about her true feelings. Eva turns up the charm at the hospital, openly flirting with Tomas, who seems more than receptive. He casually remarks that he and Kat are keeping things loose.

Meanwhile, Joey meets Vanessa under the guise of house-hunting for his mother—but his true motive is gathering leverage against Doug.

Chief (formerly Elon—because really, that name?), has sizzling chemistry with Anita. While my heart belongs to VerNita, a little messiness never hurts. Is there history between them? He visits Anita and sparks subtly fly.

Naomi seeks Anita's wise counsel. Their interaction, complete with singing and Anita’s delightful rapping, was a standout moment. Anita proves once again why she's the gold standard of matriarchs. Later, Kat and Tomas cross paths at Orphy Jean’s. Tomas boldly shoots his shot, and they share a kiss. I know TomKat fans were invested even before the show premiered, but personally, Kat deserves someone who challenges her—a rich jerk or a bad boy from outside her world. Tomas has player energy, and his flirtation with Eva confirms my suspicions.

Tuesday 

Chelsea visits Anita, seeking advice. Anita, impeccably dressed as always, warmly supports her granddaughter. At the country club, Dani orders "orange juice with a splash of vodka" during brunch. Vernon joins her briefly. Later, when Dani leaves, Vernon tastes her drink, noting the vodka. Although concerned, he says nothing when Dani returns for it. When Anita asks about Dani later, Vernon downplays it, simply noting her improved spirits.

Mike’s crude joke at Bill’s office underscores Naomi's critical meeting with the women filing a harassment suit. They are hesitant to pit her against her father but reconsider after Naomi demonstrates commitment and strategic confidence.

Anita and Vernon discuss Martin’s presidential ambitions, concerned about his family's potential exposure to public scrutiny. When Martin joins, they attempt to dissuade him, highlighting the threat of his secret being leaked. Martin, typically arrogant, reacts poorly, unaware that Smitty overhears the conversation.

Chelsea and Dani reconnect, with Chelsea nearly coming clean. Dani, however, shares her ironclad deal for Chelsea’s fashion show with excitement.

Naomi confronts Bill, revealing she’s representing the women suing him.

Wednesday 

Chelsea finally tells Dani she's finished with modeling. Dani initially can't believe it but soon breaks down, leaning into alcohol for comfort.

Hayley, living in delusion, corners Jacob at Orphy Jean’s, attempting to mend fences between Bill and Naomi. Jacob swiftly shuts her down, but reality checks are wasted on Hayley.

Naomi lays out her lawsuit to Bill, perhaps sharing too much, but Bill perversely admires her assertiveness. He shamelessly defends Mike, viewing the challenge as a twisted bonding opportunity with his daughter.

Smitty confronts Martin over his secrecy. Martin tries manipulating the conversation, but Smitty calmly and correctly calls him out. Smitty is far too understanding. Martin tried to block an opportunity from coming his way, and Smitty forgives him. Martin has been a horrible husband.

Thursday 

Kat sets up dinner with her parents at The Uptown and secretly plants a camera in Nicole’s office. Leslie approaches Kat in disguise, oddly attempting peace between Kat and Eva, but Kat is having none of it.

Nicole tries to help Dani mend her "broken and jagged" life. Nicole bluntly calls out Dani’s addiction to Bill. She lists the symptoms, and Dani is forced to admit that she is addicted. She, unfortunately, remains trapped in love and denial.

Over ice cream, Leslie disparages Ted to Eva, quickly apologizing when it seems like she is calling Eva a mistake. Leslie eagerly anticipates publicly shaming Ted at the anniversary party, while Eva proposes a more private revelation. Leslie dismisses Eva’s suggestion outright. We can see the struggle on Eva’s face.

Eva, predictably caught snooping again by Ted, discusses Kat with him. Ted gently explains Kat's cautious nature with newcomers.

Marcel attempts a friendly act towards Jacob at the precinct, but Jacob sees through his insincerity and firmly shuts him down.

Smitty confronts Martin again about his secretiveness. Martin apologizes, but Smitty remains remarkably patient and understanding.

Hayley audaciously tries mending fences with Naomi, claiming sisterhood. Naomi firmly puts her in her place. Hayley’s total lack of accountability and shameless entitlement makes her difficult to root for.

Friday

 Eva calls Leslie, and Nicole comes in to ask why she is there so late. Meanwhile, Ted and Leslie/Dana have a confrontation. Oh, Turtleneck Ted, I so tried to believe in the man you portray. Looks like Ted knew about the baby. Dana/Leslie said that she was getting an abortion and assured him that she had gone through with it. Ted wants her out of his life. He asks how much it will take. He offers her cash, and she says she wants 50K. He agrees to get the money but warns that he still has the same lawyer on speed dial, the one who made her leave the last time. OH MY!! Ted? Who are YOU?

Nicole needs to check on a patient. She invites Eva to the dinner that Kat has planned. Eva reminds her about how Kat feels about her, so it isn’t the best idea that she join them.

 Kat watches the live camera footage of the camera she set up in her mother’s office. Ted joins Kat; he tries to persuade her to be lenient with Eva. He doesn’t understand her vendetta; she tells him that he will soon. She calls him perfect; he tries to say that he isn’t, but she calls him the goat.

Nicole joins and asks the reason for the impromptu dinner. Kat keeps watching for Eva’s slip-up, but Ted questions why she is always on her phone.

Tyrell comes in with a black eye. Martin and Smitty want to know what happened, but Tyrell lies and says he fell off his bike. Martin is quick to call out that it looks like more than falling off the bike. They asked Samantha why she lied for Tyrell before saying he was in his room. Tyrell wants to be left alone. Smitty tells him they need to clean the wound, while Martin says that he and Samantha need to talk.

I love Smitty as a parent. He is so good; it's just Smitty. I love him as a character. I want to love him and Martin as a couple. However, Martin is a jerk. He makes it difficult to root for them. I rooted for Smitty to cheat. I do like the dynamics that have been laid out, though. Martin is a controlling spouse who wants his husband’s life to revolve solely around him and their family. It is something often depicted as happening between a married couple, typically involving a man and a woman. It is not often demonstrated among gay couples. I do love that aspect, but Martin, that guy needs some humility and compassion for his better half.

Martin challenges Samantha’s lie. Samantha is more like Martin and challenges him right back. She assures him that she will tell him anything that he needs to know. Okay, I like Martin better as a father than I do as a husband. Martin and Smitty regroup to talk about the kids. They are concerned but need a plan .

Vanessa joins Doug for dinner. Nicole approaches them and mentions that she rarely sees Doug at the hospital. Doug smoothly lies about them being in different fields of medicine. Joey approaches.

Hayley goes into the office. She sees Bill embracing another woman, and she hides, spying on them. Isn’t this hilarious? Little Miss Homewrecker must not have heard the old adage, “The way you got them is the way you lose them.”  Of course, it is premature, and the woman is a client.  

Hulu steps out of her hiding place, arms crossed and pouting. She uses the lawsuit of sexual harassment as an excuse to question him, but she doesn’t come out directly to ask about the embrace. They talk about Naomi; Bill is not stressed at all. He says he is stimulated.  Hayley doesn’t want to get close, the optics; she brings up all the late nights they shared, reviewing briefs - her red, lacy ones were his favorite. Hold on while I make sure my lunch stays down. Hayley says she noticed the client making motions of her own. Bill likes this, playfully saying that she is jealous.

Bill laughs at Hayley’s jealousy. Hayley mentions that she was there after hours and how she was replenished from their interaction. Bill defends himself smoothly, and they role-play in court. The client threw his children in his face. Saying that they hate them. She reminds him that they do not hate him. He tells her to give Naomi time.

Weekly Highlights:

• Anita’s iconic rapping and stellar matriarchal presence.

• Chelsea’s courageous honesty with Dani.

• Eva and Kat’s rivalry is escalating, with Eva currently ahead.

• Leslie reveals Ted’s shocking past and demands hush money.

• Naomi bravely sues Bill on behalf of his former employees

Final Thoughts: The Kat-Eva rivalry heats up beautifully—Ambyr's portrayal is superb. I adore Kat’s entrepreneurial ambitions. Jacob has developed impressively but needs to play smarter against Marcel.

While I'm thoroughly invested each week, the show should balance character exposure better. Bill, Hayley, Dani, and Martin dominate the airtime, leaving younger characters like Chelsea and Kat underdeveloped. Tomas is intriguing, but his rushed romance with Kat lacks depth—I lean towards Eva for him. Kat deserves a compelling, slower-burning storyline.

Nicole has stars in her eyes when it comes to Ted. Even feeling that he stuck beside her when he could have abandoned her because she was consumed with becoming pregnant. She doesn’t know that during that time, he was cheating and had gotten someone else pregnant. That will be devastating. Sidenote: Dani, you can still stop a man in his tracks. Look in the mirror; you are stunning.